Data of bacterial community dynamics resulting from total rumen content exchange in beef cattle.

We report here an initial rumen content exchange between two SimAngus (Simmental/Angus) non-pregnant, non-lactating cows of ~ 6 years of age weighing 603.4 ± 37.5 kg. To measure bacterial community succession and acclimation following the exchange, rumen content was collected via rumen cannula at the beginning of the study immediately prior to and following the rumen content exchange, and weekly for 12 weeks. The V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene was targeted for DNA sequencing and bacterial analysis. Over 12 weeks, numerous genera and diversity varied, before partial return to pre-exchange metrics. These preliminary data help support potential host control for the rumen microbiome, aiding in efforts to define bovine host-microbe relationships.